Your Success Plan for 2017
Now is the perfect time to create your success plan for 2017, before the first of the year. If you have already begun, congratulations! Each year brings changes in our industry as well as our business environment and 2017 will continue on this course. Added to this, many of us are experiencing a resurgence of hope.
Our faith in the manifestation of a better life is coming to reality because we have God's favor and the will to do something about improving lives.
In James 2:14-26 we read about the importance of matching our faith with deeds. I believe we need to pray and believe as well as ACT to bring about improvement.
"As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
~ James 2:26 NIV
Since early November of this year, the stock markets and economic signals have been at 110-year record highs in the United States and this gives us plenty of clues to prepare for an extraordinarily thriving economy to come.
Added to that, the incoming (US) administration has vowed to offer greater support for Christian and faith-based initiatives. It is my belief this philosophy will trickle down to our society in general. And the news just keeps getting better.
For any who worry about our future, this should come as a sigh of relief. Now the bad news ... and there is a little bit ... some of us may not yet be ready to harness this surge. But if you get ready now and don't hesitate, you can be one of the big winners!
If you are already in business, you need to prepare to expand your services and offers as well as make room for more clients. You are in the remarkable position of being in the right place at the right time. Be prepared to catch the wave (opportunity) at the exact moment it breaks (presents itself).
Being slow to act in business can be fatal to your plans. In our technological world, speed is critical. When you get a great idea, you want to be first to market with it. I did not create this rule; I am only reporting the reality of this industry.
Your first two tasks are:
1 – Fine tune your ideas and offers.
2 – Get the professional skills training you need in coaching/counseling and business training in this industry. You will find courses and digital books and audios on our website to take you to your next level.
You will absolutely need both professional skills to provide services and the business know-how to help those who need to be able to find you. But don’t worry if business is not your thing. I am here to help you get up to speed with it.
If you are just about to launch your practice or business, this is the ideal time for you to get ready.
The interesting thing about the 2017 forecast is that while we need to be ready to make decisions quickly, we will need to think in terms of the continuous improvement model. This is a wonderful system for growth without overwhelm.
I think one of our greatest challenges as independent practitioners of coaching or counseling, is to remain focused on expanding our enterprise in a way that avoids burn out and allows us to remain stress-free.
If you are new to the continuous improvement model, here is how it looks in our industry. We plan, we act (or do), we study our results, we develop strategy for a tiny improvement. Then we start over … we plan the execution of the next improvement, we execute, we study our results, we make adjustments to refine it.
It probably sounds more complex than it really is. As long as we stay in a mindset of continuous improvement, we will always be moving forward and growing.
Think in terms of what you need to learn in any aspect of your practice. It goes without saying that as people-helpers, we need to be continually learning and growing personally to increase our skills, our services, products and systems.
As we plan for the coming year, we should be seeking continuous, small improvements to all 3 P’s … people, product and process.
PEOPLE We are the people offering the service, so how can we improve ourselves so that our skills improve and we become more authentic and relate-able?
PRODUCT Our product arises from our knowledge base of helping solutions and the various ways we deliver it. So how can we improve our offers?
PROCESS The client’s experience from the time they first hear of us to when we part is our process. How can we become more efficient and responsive?
But please ... don’t think you need to tackle all of this now. Rather, that is what the continuous improvement model will do for you as it guides you to make tiny changes and improvements over time, while acknowledging there is always room for improvement.
Part of the process should include review of whether certain processes should be improved upon, replaced, delegated or eliminated altogether. For example, if a task takes too much time and brings little or no reward, it may be time to eliminate or replace it.
Here are some questions to ask as you determine where and how to apply the improvement.
Which parts of your process should be automated and which need a personal touch?
Should you set up a system that introduces someone to your services with a free digital download (offer), which enhances your credibility and is delivered by an automated email management system? If you have this system, is it working well or does it need to be updated?
Then, assess the impact of changes on your prospective clients and clients. How will the change impact you and any of your team members?
Would you like a done-for-you system?
I have created the in-depth, Business Success Planning Guide for you that will take you through the entire process easily and quickly. If you want to make sure you are doing this correctly, you will love this guide. See more below ...
The Business Success Planning Guide
for Coaches & Counselors
"small steps to BIG CHANGE" is ideal for:
(1) New Practices / Businesses
(2) Businesses that are primed and ready for growth.
(3) Entrepreneurs who want to expand their thinking and their business to take their enterprise to a NEW level of excellence and success.
(4) Those owners and managers who understand the continuous improvement model and want structure to implement growth strategies.
The Business Success Planning Guide truly meets you where you are and takes you to your next level of growth. Get your copy in our bookstore at https://pccca.org/bookstore/.
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about this topic. Just add your comment below!
© 2016 Leelo Bush PhD
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